Ori Barbut has designed the Sparrowscope to whisk smartphones into the sky aboard a kite line, allowing beginners to try kite photography.

Ori Barbut prepares the Sparrowscope to take to the air, tethered to a kite. The engineer has a Kickstarter project to send smartphones up into the sky with kites. He can then take aerial photographs cheaply and easily.

Ori Barbut is an engineer who has started a small business making the Sparrowscope. The Sparrowscope is a small device to allow the user to take aerial photographs using their smart phone hanging off a kite.

Seeing the world from above is one of life’s rare and childish joys — reserved for hot air balloonists, airplane passengers and fictional nannies with magic umbrellas.

Ori Barbut wants everyone to have that view, so he whisks smartphones into the sky, aboard kite line, to take photos.

The Toronto engineer has spent almost a year and a half ironing out practical considerations for the whimsical undertaking. His Sparrowscope is an aluminum alloy rig that locks a smartphone in with elastic cords. A tablet or smartphone on the ground controls the sky camera through a system of tones sent through the phone’s headphone jack to the motor and paddlewheel on board.

Kite-flying, and the pleasure and peace it brings, is a pastime many adults have forgotten, or simply don’t have time for. Barbut, 26, never stopped. In the summer of 2012, he was flying a kite when a man asked if he could rig his camera to it. Barbut and his friends agreed. None of the pictures turned out.

“You couldn’t see what you were taking a picture of, you couldn’t control the camera in any way, so I just got to thinking: It would be kind of cool, this is something you can do today in a way you wouldn’t have been able to do before,” he says.

Kite aerial photography isn’t new — a hefty camera lifted by a series of kites snapped a stunning photo of San Francisco in ruins after the 1906 earthquake. For years hobbyists have found different ways to take photos — using remote-control plane or helicopter parts, along with less technical solutions: Silly Putty and rubber bands. Some have the ability to control the camera from the ground, others set the shutter to automatic and hope for the best.

“Ori’s solution is quite unique in that you can have the ease of remote aiming and shutter, you can compose the picture a lot easier,” says Gary Mark, event co-ordinator with the Toronto Kite Fliers.

Mark says some members have intricate rigs that require a lot of electronics know-how and “hobby ingenuity.” He calls the Sparrowscope a “good turnkey solution” for a newcomer.

Transport Canada doesn’t specify a height restriction for kites, but prohibits flying kites into “cloud” or “in a manner that is or is likely to be hazardous to aviation safety.”

A spokesperson noted location is key — a kite flying 150 metres next to an airport runway is a hazard. People who are unsure about location can check with a local Transport Canada office about possible restrictions.

At Trinity Bellwoods last Thursday, Barbut had a kite with 150 metres of line, which will allow the kite to float, at a maximum, 90 metres above, given the flight angle. This is typical for kite aerial photography, Mark says.

“It’s a great, low aerial shot you might not get from a typical airplane view, it’s very unique,” he adds.

Bundled up in a green scarf and windproof pants, Barbut knew the 42 km/h wind gusts wouldn’t be in his favour, but he wanted to show how the Sparrowscope works. With a flick of the wrist, he sent the kite airborne, a lonely rainbow on a frosty day. The kite dive bombed like a hungry seagull in the punchy wind gusts, a dog howled and chased it.

Once the wind stabilized a bit, and the kite was above the turbulence of the tree line, Barbut hooked the Sparrowscope to the kite line. With one hand on the spool, he released more line, with the other, he held an iPad that showed what the camera saw — a baseball field abandoned to winter, covered in patches of snow.

He has designed an app to link the two devices, they communicate through Wi-Fi. The smartphone can also go on “solo mode” and take photos automatically, without a device on the ground.

The wind picked up and the iPad screen flipped between the Toronto skyline, and the desolate park — in calmer wind, the photos would be better.

This wasn’t the first time Barbut has flown in these kind of conditions. He spent time “really trying to break this thing” to make sure it was safe; to ensure the phone wouldn’t break free. Barbut has an engineering degree in robotics and a master’s degree in engineering psychology. Most of his work involves answering a question to improve a system.

He launched a Kickstarter campaign earlier this month. His goal is $75,000, which will pay for 300 Sparrowscopes, kites included, at a cost of $250 each. So far, a few kite enthusiasts have signed up to buy the device; one Alaskan told Barbut he wants to use it to take pictures of a triathlon.

The money will cover production costs, not development. The Sparrowscope is a passion, and he just “wanted to get out there and see if people like it.”

So far, it’s been an eye-catcher in local parks.

“People are always interested to just see a kite flying . . . then they realize there is something hanging from the kite line and they wonder, ‘What is that thing?’ and they get really excited when they find out it’s an iPhone,” Barbut says. “Little kids love seeing themselves from the sky.”

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